Ukrainian soldiers from the 71st Jaeger Brigade in the Avdiivka area (Photo: New York Times).
The new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Aleksandr Syrsky, announced the withdrawal of troops from the city of Avdiivka in the early hours of February 17. He stated that the withdrawal was a necessary action to "stabilize the situation and maintain the positions" of the Ukrainian army.
Reports of Ukrainian forces withdrawing from Avdiivka, a heavily damaged area after months of fierce fighting, began circulating earlier this week, while other reports indicated that Russian forces had cut off the city's major supply lines.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced it had taken control of a stronghold in eastern Ukraine, while confirming that scattered Ukrainian troops were attempting to escape the city, fleeing in chaos under Russian fire and abandoning their weapons.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that "the order from the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Syrsky to leave the city was only issued a day after Ukrainian troops fled Avdiivka in an uncontrolled manner." Ukrainian troops are believed to have lost more than 1,500 soldiers in Avdiivka in just 24 hours.
Unarmed Ukrainian forces began withdrawing from positions south of the city on February 14. Since then, they have been engaged in a desperate battle to avoid being encircled from within the city as Russian forces advance from multiple directions.
Ukrainian soldiers contacted by the New York Times described the difficult effort to withdraw from the city of Avdiivka. They had to move quickly through attacked buildings as artillery fire erupted from all directions and Russian troops pressed in from multiple directions.
Major Rodion Kudryashov, deputy commander of Ukraine's 3rd Independent Assault Brigade, said: "In an area of the city of Avdiivka, fighters of the 3rd Independent Assault Brigade are surrounded, but they are trying to break through and have succeeded."
Some Ukrainian soldiers expressed concern that the withdrawal order came too late. They also posted on social media about the dangerous and chaotic retreat.
Viktor Biliak, a soldier from the 110th Brigade, the force that has defended the city of Avdiivka for the past two years, described the hurried evacuation from the garrison called Zenit, in an area south of the city.
Bliak stated that his unit did not have time to retreat in an orderly manner, nor did they have time to evacuate weapons and equipment, burn documents, or plant mines to prevent the Russian attack.
Bliak said that 10 Ukrainian soldiers tried to retreat on the evening of February 14 but were unsuccessful. They had to try to advance during a firefight, but were then attacked by Russian artillery.
Bliak said he helped rescue one of the injured the following morning. A dangerous daytime move resulted in four more injuries to the unit, including Bliak himself.
Ukrainian soldiers made another withdrawal attempt on the evening of February 15, and those seriously wounded were instructed to wait for an armored vehicle to transport them.
"The groups left one by one," Bliak said. Since he was still able to move around, he decided not to wait for the evacuation vehicles and led a group out instead.
"There was no outside vision. It was simply a life-or-death moment. One kilometer left across the field. A group of soldiers was being led by a drone. Enemy artillery was still firing. The road to Avdiivka was littered with our bodies," the Ukrainian soldier recounted.
According to Bliak, evacuation vehicles were unable to pick up the wounded. The last group left the bunker, and he overheard a wounded soldier asking over the radio about evacuation vehicles. The commander replied that no vehicles were coming and they should leave the wounded behind.
"That commander didn't realize he was talking to a wounded man. The radio conversation hurt us deeply," the Ukrainian soldier emphasized.
The Ukrainian withdrawal from Avdiivka is still underway under heavy Russian shelling. The Ukrainian military command stated that the withdrawal from the southern part of the city has proceeded with "minor losses".
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